Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system including a server for providing a file to display a user interface, and a user interface display control method, a server, and an information processing apparatus and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
An information processing apparatus such as a PC connected to a Web server on a network is widely known in general to display, on a Web browser, an operation window provided by the Web server. In such a configuration, first, the Web browser of the information processing apparatus requests the operation window of the Web server. Then, in response to the request from the information processing apparatus, a Web application on the Web server sends an HTML file that causes the Web browser to display the operation window to the information processing apparatus. The Web browser of the information processing apparatus analyzes the received HTML file, and displays the operation window based on the description of the HTML file. When the user inputs an instruction in the operation window displayed on the Web browser, the Web browser of the information processing apparatus notifies the Web server of the instruction. Upon receiving the notification, the Web application on the Web server executes processing in accordance with the input instruction.
In recent years, an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a scanner and printer also includes a Web browser. The MFP can display the operation window provided by the Web server on the Web browser, and receive various kinds of instructions from the user in accordance with the above-described procedure. The Web server can also express an operation instruction for the MFP or acquire information from it and handle window updating based on a Java®Script incorporated in an HTML file or metadata added to an HTML file. In many cases, both the MFP and the Web server introduce a user authentication mechanism. In this case, the user login/logout state in the MFP and that in the Web application running on the Web server side need to appropriately synchronize.
According to the description of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-296223, a Web server prepares pages in a plurality of languages corresponding to the same window. Upon receiving a window acquisition request from the Web browser of the MFP, the Web server sends the page of a corresponding language to the MFP based on the received language information. Hence, even when the user is in a plurality of language environments, the Web server can send, to the Web browser of the MFP, window information corresponding to the request from the MFP.
A file for a user interface on an information processing apparatus except the Web server is provided by the Web application on the Web server. Hence, the Web application should notify the information processing apparatus of a file for a more appropriate window. When the information processing apparatus is an MFP, it often executes a function that combines a plurality of processes such as scan and sending. The Web server cannot send an appropriate window to the MFP without receiving the pieces of device information of devices for executing individual functions. For efficient communication between apparatuses, device information is preferably sent to the server at a window transition timing based on a user instruction on the user interface window of the MFP.